Thursday, January 31, 2008
Our NEW-ish car!!!
"Mista is thankful for a second vehicle!"
(I bet some of you thought I was going to say that I was pregnant... Ha! Yeah, no....)
Which Jessica wrote on my wall:
"You got a second car?!"
*LOL* Oh dear, I had forgotten to update her! AHHH!
So yes! We bought a second vehicle around midnight the day before our crazy Ward-Christmas-Breakfast-Christmas-Play-Emma's-4th-Birthday-Party-Sarah's-Birthday-Dinner day.
It's a 1997 Chevy Lumina. Power windows, Keyless entry, etc. Duel heating... And a 15.5 Cubic-Sq-Ft trunk! And it only had 78,000 km!
So here's the story:
We had been looking for a reliable, safe second vehicle that could fit the whole family in it. This includes the car seats! At first Tyler thought about a truck so that he could haul things around (like when we get his welding business up and going) but I wouldn't allow him to get one unless it had the seats int he back.... Just in case my van craps out and I still need to get Emma to school, etc. It also had to be reliable enough for me to take my girls to and from Leduc on the highway in.
And it could cost no more than $5000.00!
I looked forever, calling people, e-mailing people, asking thousands of questions when finally there was guy selling his Cavalier.... We test drove it...
1) He smoked in it.
2) The engine was SO dirty! And rusting.... Because...
3) It was from Ontario. The difference in humidty, what we use on our groundin winter, etc. was creating rust... Already! (It wasn't that old!).....
Oh! And it was only a 2-door... Wich confirmed that we needed a 4-door... Oh yes....
I got tired. It was mostly myself doing all of this as Tyler was working. He'd talk to guys at work and get the Auto Trader Magazine, but other then that it was hard for him to keep up.... And Conor even gave us a heads up on a vehicle he saw an ad about at school... (Thank you!)...
So I placed this in the Marketplace on Facebook:
HA! Take that Facebookers!
And then I sat back and waited for the replies to come... And they did!!!! Thank goodness!
One of the first replies I received was from a woman named Eva.... She informed me that she had bought this car for her daughter but she (daughter) could not pay her back so she was selling it! It only as 78,000km on it and had been kept in a garage its whole life.
You see.... And elderly man had bought it to drive to and from the grocery store. Yup. She bought it for $6000.00, paid for an inspection fee and had new brakes installed as that was all it needed. She was willing to sell it to us for $5000.00!
I made an appointment. So late one evening Tyler, the girls and I drove to the other side of the city to test drive the car. When we arrived, they weren't there. Huh. So we waited... And they arrived! (Not a big deal really)....
We test drove it.... Oh how smoothly it drove! It has the bench seat in the front so we can actually fit 6 in the car!!! Then we did all of our tests on it.... Signals------WORK! Engine------Clean! Trunk Space------HUGE!
We were sold.
Now for the dealing... My Mommy (yes, I said 'Mommy') kindly offered to help us out*... So after many e-mails, photos, reports, etc. we all agreed that it was best to buy a car that was newer, clean, well taken care of with low km's for a high price then a run-down-barely-holding-in-there car that's cheap, cheap, cheap (price way).
So we're getting a car! *GEEEEEEEE!*
Many late night messages back and forth with Eva and we have it arranged. Friday, December 7th we were buying the car! Tyler did all of the calling with our Insurance guy (who is in Leduc...Funny, no??!).
Now for the fun part of the story...That Friday was a crazy one for us. You see that whole week was a last minute thing for Emma's birthday party. I'll write a blog about this later on but let's just say all hell was breaking loose! In the end we found a place to have the first part of her party at (thank you, thank you, thank you Grandma and Grandpa and Kevin!) and now I had to call everyone invited to let them know of the last minute change....
I also had a very important meeting with one of my favorite clients at 5:30pm with a Wedding Commissioner. This was at South Edmonton Common and included dinner.
Then at 9pm Tyler, the girls and I were to be at our Church decorating for the Ward Christmas Breakfast and Nativity Production (play). This is Westmount area.....
And then we're to be on the north side to buy the car.
Before all of this I was to be dressed, make-up'd and such for my meeting and at the bank to get a cheque for the car.....
All was going as planned until the weather turned to crap on my drive over to my dinner meeting.... And the roads got a bit....Umm...Unsafe.
Dinner meeting went really well. Comissioner signed. Food eaten.
Picked up the family, decorations and headed over to the Church. While there Zoë fell right off the stage (turned to crawl down the stirs from the stage) and bashed her head so hard I heard the 'CRACK!' noise at the back of the gymnasium. As well, Tyler started to feel not so great... Humm...
After this we drove to the north side to make our 10:30pm appointment to buy the car (Alright, we were late as there was just not enough time in the weather to get across the city in 20 minutes).
We waited so long that we left, filled the van with gas (which I did -the passenger- because Tyler was just that ill) and got some drinks and a snack to hold us over...
Just before midnight they showed up, emptied the car out (her daughter has a child so we actually got to see how a car seat would fit in the car) and we did the payment/paper work.
There we have it! We are now the proud owners of a second vehicle... Who needs more kids when you have car payments to make??!! *L*
I drove the van home; Tyler drove the car (I'm guessing you could have figured that one out on your own....).
That's all I'll tell you about for now since we'll start getting into Emma's Birthday weekend.... Maybe Friday night while my girls are at a sleepover I'll take the time to write an extremely long blog about that weekend and the week that lead up to it....
*We're paying my Mom back... Slowly as I made a deal with Tyler that I would pay for it with whatever I make from Weddings and my monthly cheque, etc..... Merry Christmas!!! (A car and a Drafting Table... Not a bad score! *L*)
And why does Blogger always seem to make the spaces in-between my paragraphs longer and longer? That's not how I placed them! Grrr...
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Winter Weather... Continued from Facebook.... (Part 2)
Sam Stewart's face is covered in frost as he clears snow from the sidewalk along Whyte Avenue and 107 Street yesterday. Edmonton's daytime temperature hovered around -28 C with a wind chill that made it feel like -40 C. (David Bloom, Sun Media)
"Winter have you stuck in a rut? You'd better get used to it.
Belcourt said crews may also do the occasional back lane if conditions warrant it.
Kindly taken from:
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Frozen Vans....
SUCK!
Yup, that's right... They suck!
- My van wouldn't start.
- Couldn't get to the Birthday Part.
- Couldn't get to the store to get the ingredients for the crock pot meal and have no idea when I will be able to... Humm...
- Realized that Tyler will need the van to drive everyone to dinner tonight (Car seats x2 and Boy Missionaries will not fit in the car!)
- And driving conditions are a bit slow... Which is fine but now we'll be a bit behind schedule.
- Oh! And the girls don't want to nap.... So I'm really behind schedule and not ready for my meeting tonight.
So all in all.... Things are sucking a bit today. The girls were devastated that they didn't get to go to the party as well as get out of the house... I'm not going to be able to make my promise of a single freezable meal by tomorrow at noon....
OH YEAH! Tomorrow at 10:30am is Emma and Zoë's hair appointments (think we'll make it??!)... This is very important since it's Zoë's very first hair appointment! (Did anyone else hear my heart break a little??! No? Just me.... Huh....)
The Sister Visits!
We miss having her here!
Yesterday I received an interesting text message, it read:
"So uh if a certain sister missionary was to come into town and wanted to see her favorite zauggs could she come by say tomorrow night?"
WELL DUH!
So tonight Sister Buck (I call them 'Sista') came on by... As to our usual tradition, the night before she flys out! *L* We hung out, she brought gifts, we ate pizza and gummy bears (at separate times! *L*).... It was fun! She also played with our girls.... A lot! *L* It was awesome times.....
And, just for you Peavler.... She got lost on her way here! Not her fault, but it made me giggle!
But yes.... Now she's on her way to the place she's been staying at... The long slippery drive to the north side.... (Please, please drive safe!).....
And I already miss her!
*sigh*
This is one of the gifts Sista Buck got for the girls.... I adore them! (Mini-Sister Missionaries!!! *GEE!*)
And then there was THIS.... It's beautiful and has so much meaning to me... One day I will make it to Logan.... And I cannot wait! One day....
Thank you for the lovely gifts... And for bringing tears to my eyes when I saw this!
Monday, January 28, 2008
The First Children
When the wind blows...
Like me.
But it is old. And cold.
Can you see the missing sidewalk? And this is
a tiny snowdrift!
Looking out to the bus station. See our car??!
I can't imagine what Tyler has to do at work
all day/night. I know they do shovel snow off
plates of metal when it snows... ALL shift!
Hard to see where the snow is on the trees
right now... I'll try again tomorrow day.
Well this is new....
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley has passed away
Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley has passed away
"January 27th, 2008 @ 8:00pm(KSL News) Officials with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced this evening that Church President Gordon B. Hinckley has passed away.
He passed away at his home about 7 o'clock this evening with his family was at his side. President Hinckley was 97 years old. He was the 15th president of the church.
Born in Salt Lake City on June 23, 1910; he graduated from the University of Utah and served a mission to Great Britain. After he returned, he embarked on a lifetime of service for the church.
He was employed as the executive secretary of the Church Radio, Publicity, and Literature committee, before he was called to be an Apostle in 1961.
He was later called to serve as a counselor to President Kimball, President Benson and President Hunter.
Since becoming church President on Mar. 12, 1995, he has directed the most intense temple building program in the history of the church in an effort to extend temple blessings to more members.
He has exhibited vitality and energy as he has traveled about the world meeting and speaking to members of the church.
Through television interviews and national press publications, he has increased media attention and improved the public image of the church. He has counseled church members to fellowship new converts, befriend members of other faiths, live exemplary lives, and avoid the evils of the world."
Kindly taken from:
What to write....
I walk over to the computer, tap my mouse..... 'Blink' my screen lights up.... Somehow this makes me do a corner smile (ya know the one, where only the corner of my mouth lifts slightly up)!
Once I have all of my 'needs' around me (drink, munchies’ if needed, hoodie since the draft from under our front door is freezing, etc.) I get settled into my chair... Or 'THE chair' as I like to call it (so much better then the broken down thing we were sitting in that once was Tyler’s when he was single)....
And then I begin... I get to my page; click on 'New Post' and......
Stare.
Right before this I had hundreds of ideas milling through my head. My brain was full of amazing topics, some with humor, some with tears attached.... And now I have nothing???
NOTHING??!!
You have got to be kidding me....
So today I decided to have a back-up plan. I was settling in for a snack before heading downstairs to switch the laundry over when a thought hit me... I automatically ran over to the computer, did my mouse-tap-corner-smile....... Waiting for the page to load........click 'New Post' and there it is.... The white rectangle waiting for me to write my best thoughts across it....
And I come up with nothing... So I did a bit of research.... And came across this (oh just you wait! *L*), something I and hopefully a few others out there will be needing come September... Here we go!
"Hurry Up!" I used to find myself constantly saying to my kids, while keeping a constant eye on the clock, and feeling consternation at the sight of spilled egg on my son's shirt which seconded as a breakfast napkin as far as he was concerned, while my daughter still lingered upstairs deciding just what counted as worthy of being worn to nursery school.
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